Keeping Kids Safe Online

Abstract

hat would we do without the Internet? It gives us the world at our fingertips. Almost anything that we want and need can be found here in one neat little place. I recently bought an insulating paint additive like the one NASA uses. No one around here or in the Twin Cities knew what I was talking about but I found exactly what I wanted online in less than 3 minutes. The Internet is a great place for kids also. Here they can be entertained, chat with friends and learn about whatever interests them. Unfortunately the Internet also helps people actively find what they are after even if they should not be after it. We seem to be hearing more and more about sexual predators using the Internet to fulfill their desires. PC Tattletale (2006) states that there are an estimated one million pedophiles online. In a report published by the University of New Hampshire and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children it was found that one in four Internet users aged 10 to 17 were exposed to pornographic images on the Internet and one in five had been solicited for sex in the past year (Juvenile Justice Bulletin, 2002). But is not only the active predators we must guard against; it is also the pitfalls of passively surfing or searching the Internet. We have all come upon sites by accident that should definitely be off limits to youngsters. Perhaps it is time to review some of the steps that parents can take to protect children and information we should give our students and per-service teachers concerning child safety on the Internet.